Hinsdale is a

town A town is a type of a human settlement, generally larger than a village but smaller than a city. The criteria for distinguishing a town vary globally, often depending on factors such as population size, economic character, administrative stat ...

in Cattaraugus County,

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York New York may also refer to: Places United Kingdom * ...

, United States. The population was 2,119 at the 2020 census. The town was named after Hinsdale in

New Hampshire New Hampshire ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Gulf of Maine to the east, and the Canadian province of Quebec t ...

. Hinsdale is at the eastern border of Cattaraugus County, north-northeast of Olean.

History

Hinsdale was formed in 1820, bordering the town of Olean. It was named after the town of

Hinsdale, New Hampshire Hinsdale is a town in Cheshire County, New Hampshire, United States. The population was 3,948 at the 2020 census. Hinsdale is home to part of Pisgah State Park in the northeast, and part of Wantastiquet Mountain State Forest in the northwest. ...

. The town of Ischua was created in 1846, as separate from Hinsdale, although the two towns share a zip code. In 1820, the local community congregated and came to the decision that they no longer wanted to be part of the town known as Hamilton (now Olean). They contacted their representative in Albany, Elial Todd Foote, a resident of Jamestown. They asked Foote to deliver to the legislature in Albany a resolution that would allow them to form their own community, which they would attempt to name "Fayette". Because of conflicting names ( Fayette and Fayetteville) the resolution ultimately failed. The legislature informed Foote that he would be given until the next day to decide on a new name, or be forced to wait until the legislature's next session in the fall of that year. With no way to communicate with the locals back in Hamilton, who sought to create a new town, it was up to Foote to submit a new name. After spending a sleepless night attempting to derive a new name for the town, Foote decided to settle on

, the birthplace of his mother, Debbie Doolittle Foote. Thus, on April 14, 1820, the town of Hinsdale, New York, was born. In 1846, those who resided in the present town of Ischua decided that they no longer wanted to be part of the Hinsdale community, thus creating their own town.

Geography

According to the

United States Census Bureau The United States Census Bureau, officially the Bureau of the Census, is a principal agency of the Federal statistical system, U.S. federal statistical system, responsible for producing data about the American people and American economy, econ ...

, the town has a total area of , of which is land and , or 0.11%, is water. The Southern Tier Expressway ( Interstate 86 and

New York State Route 17 New York State Route 17 (NY 17) is a major state highway that extends for through the Southern Tier and Downstate New York, Downstate regions of New York (state), New York in the United States. It begins at the New York–Pennsylvani ...

) passes across the town.

New York State Route 16 New York State Route 16 (NY 16) is a state highway in western New York, in the United States. It runs from the Pennsylvania state line, where it is one of the highest highways in the state in elevation, to downtown Buffalo. NY ...

is a major trunk road in the town and partially follows the same path as the Expressway. New York State Route 446 crosses the northeast part of the town and has its western terminus in the community of Maplehurst. The eastern town line is the border of Allegany County.

Adjacent towns and areas

Hinsdale is south of the town of Ischua and north of the towns of Olean and Portville. The west border is formed by the towns of

Humphrey Humphrey is both a masculine given name and a surname. An earlier form, not attested since Medieval times, was Hunfrid. Notable people with the name include: People with the given name Medieval period :''Ordered chronologically'' *Hunfrid of Pr ...

and Allegany. The east border is formed by the towns of

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

and Clarksville in Allegany County.

Demographics

As of the

census A census (from Latin ''censere'', 'to assess') is the procedure of systematically acquiring, recording, and calculating population information about the members of a given Statistical population, population, usually displayed in the form of stati ...

of 2000, there were 2,270 people, 861 households, and 625 families residing in the town. The population density was . There were 1,134 housing units at an average density of . The racial makeup of the town was 97.05%

White White is the lightest color and is achromatic (having no chroma). It is the color of objects such as snow, chalk, and milk, and is the opposite of black. White objects fully (or almost fully) reflect and scatter all the visible wa ...

, 0.57%

African American African Americans, also known as Black Americans and formerly also called Afro-Americans, are an Race and ethnicity in the United States, American racial and ethnic group that consists of Americans who have total or partial ancestry from an ...

, 0.44% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.18% from other races, and 1.54% from two or more races.

Hispanic The term Hispanic () are people, Spanish culture, cultures, or countries related to Spain, the Spanish language, or broadly. In some contexts, Hispanic and Latino Americans, especially within the United States, "Hispanic" is used as an Ethnici ...

or Latino of any race were 0.79% of the population. There were 861 households, out of which 34.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.3% were

married couples Marriage, also called matrimony or wedlock, is a culturally and often legally recognised union between people called spouses. It establishes rights and obligations between them, as well as between them and their children (if any), and b ...

living together, 9.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 27.3% were non-families. 20.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.00. In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.7% under the age of 18, 6.9% from 18 to 24, 27.5% from 25 to 44, 25.9% from 45 to 64, and 13.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 39 years. For every 100 females, there were 96.5 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 96.6 males. The median income for a household in the town was $33,110, and the median income for a family was $36,949. Males had a median income of $27,008 versus $20,645 for females. The

per capita income Per capita income (PCI) or average income measures the average income earned per person in a given area (city, region, country, etc.) in a specified year. In many countries, per capita income is determined using regular population surveys, such ...

for the town was $14,985. About 9.6% of families and 14.9% of the population were below the

poverty line The poverty threshold, poverty limit, poverty line, or breadline is the minimum level of income deemed adequate in a particular country. The poverty line is usually calculated by estimating the total cost of one year's worth of necessities for ...

, including 18.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Hinsdale

*Haskell Flats – A

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a Shakespearean tragedy, tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play. Set in Denmark, the play (the ...

in the southeast corner of the town. *Hinsdale – The hamlet of Hinsdale, where Ischua Creek and Oil Creek join to become Olean Creek. The community is located on NY Route 16, east of the Southern Tier Expressway. The first house was built in 1821. *Maplehurst – A hamlet in the northern part of the town on NY 16 and north of the Southern Tier Expressway. *Scotts Corner – A former community north of Hinsdale village. *Jollytown – A former farming community in the eastern part of the town.

References

External links

Town of Hinsdale official website

Hinsdale Central School
{{authority control Towns in Cattaraugus County, New York Towns in New York (state)